Obama Follows in Ike’s Footsteps With Philippine Visit

President Dwight D. Eisenhower enjoyed a drink during a Manila luncheon on June 15, 1960. Mr. Eisenhower was the first sitting U.S. president to visit the Philippines; Barack Obama will be the seventh.

Associated Press

MANILA — When U.S. President Barack Obama visits the Philippines Monday, he’ll likely underscore–as previous American leaders have–the strategic role America’s long-standing ally plays in securing peace and economic interests in the region.

Defense and security issues are expected to dominate talks between Mr. Obama and his Philippine counterpart, Benigno Aquino III.

The visit will also help highlight what was in 2011 called the U.S. pivot to Asia. It was initiated in the face of growing Chinese assertiveness, but the pivot has struggled to gain a footing.

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Until the early 1990s, the Philippines hosted two of the largest American naval and air force bases outside of the continental U.S.

U.S. President Richard Nixon and Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos, on April 1, 1969.

Associated Press

The U.S. took a prominent role in the Philippines after the Spanish-American War, near the dawn of the 20th Century, when it became the only American colony in Asia. It improved public education and introduced Hollywood to its colony’s people in the near half century that it ruled the archipelago. American and Filipino soldiers fought side-by-side in World War II.

Only six sitting U.S. presidents have visited the Philippines.

The first was Dwight D. Eisenhower, who spent several years in the country before World War II as an aide to famed Gen. Douglas MacArthur.

Secretary State William Rogers, left, Philippines Foreign Secretary Carlos Romulo, second from left, and President Marcos, right, with Richard Nixon.

President Eisenhower came to the Philippines in 1960, when Carlos Garcia was president. At the time, the Cold War was at its height and the president’s visit followed a conference in Washington D.C. of the Southeast Asia Treaty Organization, which was formed to prevent the spread of communism in the region. It also came as Manila sought new weapons and equipment from the U.S., including conventional missiles.

Six years later, U.S. President Lyndon Johnson visited Manila to attend a summit with leaders from Australia, South Korea, New Zealand, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam. The U.S. was deeply involved in the Vietnam War at the time and the leaders of the seven countries signed a peace declaration. After Manila, President Johnson made a short stop to visit U.S. troops stationed at a Cam Ranh Bay base.

Then-president Ferdinand Marcos — only in his first year in office when President Johnson visited — had earlier addressed the U.S. Congress and praised America’s decision to lead the fight against communist expansion in Southeast Asia.

The next U.S. president to visit was Richard Nixon, who came to the Philippines on July 26, 1969, shortly after American astronauts landed on the moon. Mr. Nixon’s visit to Manila marked the start of a peace mission that would take him around the world. In his arrival speech, the U.S. president referenced his country’s historical ties with the Philippines, saying, “We went through World War II together. We have gone through Korea together. We now have a war in Vietnam.” He then emphasized that to ensure peace in the Asia-Pacific region and globally, Asia would have “play its part,” which included continuing to host American military bases.

President Bill Clinton, right, was accompanied by Philippine President Fidel Ramos as they reviewed an honor guard in Manila on Nov. 13, 1994.

Associated Press

While Mr. Nixon’s stop in the Philippines was the beginning of his overseas trip, President Gerald Ford visited the Philippines in December 1975 to conclude his Asian journey, which also included stops in China and Indonesia. From Manila, President Ford flew to Hawaii, where he unveiled a Pacific doctrine that highlighted the responsibility of the U.S. to lessen tensions, prevent hostilities and preserve peace. “World stability and our own security depend upon our Asian commitments,” Mr. Ford said.

President Bill Clinton was the only American head of state to make two journeys to the Philippines while in office. His first visit came in 1993, shortly after his election. He was back in 1996 to attend a summit of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation. In 1993, Mr. Clinton pledged to help strengthen the Philippine military and said the U.S. would supply the Philippines with two C-130 aircraft. During his second visit to Manila in 1996, Mr. Clinton met with Chinese President Jiang Zemin at the APEC summit to discuss bilateral relations and regional issues.

George W. Bush was the last U.S. president to visit the Philippines, in October 2003. Mr. Bush met with President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and addressed a joint session of the Philippine Congress. He urged the country to support the U.S. in its “war against terror,” saying the two countries shared a commitment to global safety and security. “We will defend ourselves, our civilization, and the peace of the world,” he said.

U.S. President George W. Bush met with his Philippine counterpart, Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, in Manila in October 2003.

Reuters

President Barack Obama was scheduled to visit the Philippines in October 2013, but postponed the trip to deal with a government shutdown in the U.S.

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Indonesia Real Time provides analysis and insight into the region, which includes Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, Malaysia, the Philippines, Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos and Brunei. Contact the editors at SEAsia@wsj.com.

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